MultiEx Commander

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MultiEx Commander
Developer(s)Mike Zuurman
Jeremy Walton
Ben Moench
Initial releasev1.07, (August 16, 1999) [1]
Stable release
4.6 [2] / November 10, 2022; 17 months ago (2022-11-10)
Preview release
None / None
Written inVisual Basic
Operating systemWindows
TypeFile manager
LicenseShareware (Windows)
Websitemultiex.xentax.com

MultiEx Commander was a game resource archive manager for Windows published by the Xentax Foundation. Some features include a built-in MexScript (AKA BMS) interpreter, file extractor and importer, stand alone mod creator EasyMod.

This application is currently written by Mike Zuurman in Visual Basic.[3] The first versions of the program were written in Borland Turbo C in 1998 and 1999 as a user interface for a command line DOS archiving tool, called multiex, that was created in 1997.[4] The program is extensible by programmers via a plugin-API.[5] The first multiex release was built around MexScript, a custom script written specifically to enable programmers to process (game) archives by simply typing a few lines of script. All the low-level events would be carried out by the main program. MexScript (or BMS as it is also called, after Binary MultiEx Script[6]) is still a prominent feature of the tool, as the user can write scripts via the built-in script window.[4] It also enables the use of QuickBMS scripts, a later third party produced improvement (or "forking") of the original MexScript.[7]

Additionally, MultiEx Commander can create stand-alone mods for games via the EasyMod creator. Custom changes made to certain game archives (such as sounds, or textures) are stored as a stand-alone program, enabling users to distribute their mods without others needing MultiEx Commander.[citation needed]

The Windows version is freeware, although it was donateware up until September 2014: users could download it after they donated a certain amount to the Xentax Foundation. As part of the 25th Anniversary of the publisher in 2014, it became free to download.[8]

History[edit]

In 1997, the command line MexScript based game archive extraction and importation tool multiex.exe for DOS was programmed using Turbo C. From 1998 through 2001 MultiEx Commander was created as a GUI for multiex.exe with new versions.[9] One can still see the last DOS version (2.3) in action in this video, a version that was released on February 23, 2001.[10] In that same year, the first Windows version was released (3.0b) along with a number of updates to higher versions,[11][12] a task Mike Zuurman first discussed with fellow programmers.[13] During the years that followed, new versions came out[14][15] up until version 3.9.68, of which source code was uploaded to SourceForge on October 9, 2003.[16][17] A brief Open Source development period started, including a major update to version 4.0 on June 29, 2004.[18] This period ended when version 4.2 was completed[19] in August 2005. The current version is 4.5.1,[20] that has "approval" of Duke Nukem (as acted by original Duke Nukem voice actor Jon St. John).[21] As MultiEx Commander was pirated on, and cracks and registration numbers released, it was an on-line only tool, until November 2022. The developer announced the last version (4.6) had been released, that is stand-alone and is used offline. In addition, they stated there would be no more new updates.[4][22]

Press[edit]

The gaming press had received MultiEx Commander with positive articles in hard-copy magazines, such as PC Action, PC Games Hardware and PC Gameplay.[23] PC Gameplay (a leading Belgian game magazine at the time) stated "MultiEx Commander makes modding possible for everyone",[24] while PC Extreme called it "the ultimate game modding utility".[25] In September 2012, a book was released about MultiEx Commander.[26]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "readme.txt". 1999-08-19. Archived from the original on 2012-04-12. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  2. ^ "MultiEx Commander". xentax.com. 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
  3. ^ "MultiEx Commander". 14 August 2015.
  4. ^ a b c http://www.xentax.com/downloads/multiex/MexComManual.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  5. ^ "MultiEX Commander .DPC Plugin file". 14 September 2010.
  6. ^ "XeNTaX - Login".
  7. ^ "Luigi Auriemma".
  8. ^ "25th Anniversary of Xentax". Multiex.xentax.com. 2014-08-09. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  9. ^ "XeNTaX MultiEx Page!". www.xs4all.nl. Archived from the original on 17 January 2000. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Editing Stuff - New MultiEx - Blue's News Story".
  11. ^ "Editing Stuff - Blue's News Story".
  12. ^ "GameSurge - News Archive - May 2001".
  13. ^ "PLEASE! Some feedback would be welcome!".
  14. ^ "Quake 3".
  15. ^ "Planet Quake - News, Screenshots, Previews, Reviews, Guides". Archived from the original on 2013-10-03. Retrieved 2012-06-16.
  16. ^ "MultiEx Commander / News".
  17. ^ "MultiEx Commander and OpenMex". 10 October 2003.
  18. ^ "MultiEx Commander 4.0.0b".
  19. ^ "MultiEx Commander 4.2.0 - DVHARDWARE".
  20. ^ "Etc. - Blue's News Comments".
  21. ^ http://www.xentax.com/audio/jsj_xentax_md1.mp3 [bare URL AV media file]
  22. ^ "XeNTaX » Blog Archive » MultiEx Commander 4.6 (Final release)".
  23. ^ "XeNTaX » Press".
  24. ^ http://www.xentax.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/pggameplay_multiexcommander_oct2006_eh_s.jpg [bare URL image file]
  25. ^ http://www.xentax.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/cover_pcextreme_s_large.jpg [bare URL image file]
  26. ^ Toll, Aaron (13 September 2012). MultiEx Commander. Ceed Publishing. ISBN 978-6201754515.

External links[edit]

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